1820 Georgian house that has cement render.

[cozzie81]

I had wanted to return it to the original way with Lime render etc but its very cost prohibitive for me to do. With scaffolding & requisite works its looking at in and around €150k

It currently has cement rendered front, back & gable end. Render was applied many yrs before I bought the property. Its in good condition considering, with no signs of dampness, water ingress, mold or any damage. Interior walls are always dry to the touch even after driving rain.

What are peoples thoughts on it? I know lime render/breathable materials are what should be use but i've also come across no issues anywhere with the cement render. Some of the people who have looked at the job have actually said it will cause a lot of damage to the stone trying to remove it as the render is quite thick & to just leave it as it is.

Also the house is quite cold so i'd like to insulate but unsure of the best way to go, breathable insulation is the obvious answer but if the wall is no longer breathable then is that a waste of time?

 

[Kearn]

You won’t feel the damp/moisture by touch.

Your house is cold because its fabric is currently damp, which makes it a very good conductor of heat. When it’s dry, it’s a very good insulator.

Adding insulation is expensive, won’t solve your problem, and will possibly create more through moving the dew point inside the makeup. Adding modern insulation will undoubtedly give you hidden damp and mould issues that you won’t be able to see.

Often with an old building, if it ain’t broke… goes a long way. But I would bet my granny’s pension that a house clad in external cement render has a high number of hairline cracks, many of which won’t be visible to the eye. They all let rain and moisture in. Which then cannot escape again.

Sounds like you know the approach required, but hadn’t factored in the costs. Although £150k sounds bold as a figure… but without knowing the size, access, etc it’s hard to say.

 

[cozzie81]

You won’t feel the damp/moisture by touch.

Your house is cold because its fabric is currently damp, which makes it a very good conductor of heat. When it’s dry, it’s a very good insulator.

Adding insulation is expensive, won’t solve your problem, and will possibly create more through moving the dew point inside the makeup. Adding modern insulation will undoubtedly give you hidden damp and mould issues that you won’t be able to see.

Often with an old building, if it ain’t broke… goes a long way. But I would bet my granny’s pension that a house clad in external cement render has a high number of hairline cracks, many of which won’t be visible to the eye. They all let rain and moisture in. Which then cannot escape again.

Sounds like you know the approach required, but hadn’t factored in the costs. Although £150k sounds bold as a figure… but without knowing the size, access, etc it’s hard to say.

Hi Kearn, thanks for the reply. Yeah the going rate is approx €250 sqm by 300sqm for lime render not adding the cost of scaffolding and removing of the old cement render. The only place that the stone is visible is the entire attic space where is it wasn't rendered in gypsum, again no visible signs or feeling of damp, that was why i was hoping there was no dampness present.

I had looked at cork board insulation as it was breathable but I guess it makes no difference if the substrate isn't. I may have the cement render removed in the future but at this point maybe just examine the cement render for cracking and repair as I go.

 

[Stevers]

In my experience stone houses without heat in winter are miserable places, and without heat that damp cave like feeling will be setting in about now. From what you say you may have a cement lime external render, and that will be less prone to cracking and more breathable than a straight cement render. I'd be more bothered by distressed gypsum plaster indoors, but as there are no signs of damp, then I'd put the money in a smart heating system as we have here. £150,000 can buy you a lot of warmth and comfort once you have full control of heating to each room 24/7 as required.

 

[cozzie81]

Hi Steven,

I have natural gas heating & what I've done is installed wireless zigbee thermostat valves which do give great control over independent rooms.

I suppose the issue with it is how fast those rooms become quite cool & with 2 smallies in the house I'm constantly trying to keep it warm especially at night. I've had some large gas bills!

I don't expect a high BER rating by any means but I'd be prepared to install some sort of appropriate insulation to improve efficiency to some degree. As Kearn stated I don't really want to create more problems than I already have.